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Professions and training courses

Professional credentials are important in many professions. In some professions it is even a prerequisite for practising the profession in Germany. It depends on the profession:

In the regulated professions you must obtain recognition of your professional qualifications in order to practice the profession or use the job title. Without recognition you cannot work in Germany in these professions with a vocational qualification that you obtained in another country. Regulated professions in Germany include, for example, doctor, nurse, lawyer, teacher, child-care worker and engineer. A list of all the professions that are regulated in Germany can be found at the website "Regulated Professions Database".

In non-regulated professions recognition is not required to practice the profession. In these professions you can directly enter the labor market and work. But an evaluation of your qualification can however be helpful in making it easier for employers and companies to understand your foreign qualifications. In addition, an equivalent recognized qualification can open the door for professional training opportunities. Not regulated in Germany are all of the so-called training professions, i.e. the professions in which training follows the dual system. A list of all training professions in Germany is found here (PDF).

All of the professions are alike in that a certificate of recognition of professional qualifications obtained abroad will make it easier to work in Bavaria. Here it is essential that you begin by clarifying which German reference profession that you are going to choose. The starting point for the recognition process is always the German profession and not the profession in the home country. The training paths and professions in Bavaria can be very different from those in the home country. You can call the hotline +49 301815 1111 for assistance.

You can also contact one of the counseling services. They provide extensive counseling on matters related to the recognition process: